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O’Connell, R-Taunton, posted the image to Facebook on Sunday, along with photographs of her children playing in the snow and a U.S. flag against a snowy backdrop.

The Confederate flag, regardless of the intent behind its display, can be a racially charged image for many Americans, said Michael Curry, president of the NAACP’s Boston chapter.

“Of course there’s a concern when an elected official posts an image of the Confederate flag,” Curry said. “I take the representative’s word that she was not trying to send a message. What it speaks to, I think, is a lack of awareness … It is discouraging to know there are still folks who, when they see that image, think nothing of it and would post it.”

The state lawmaker said her children built and decorated the snowman using items that were leftover from a clothing drive. The snowman, posted with the caption “Just a little R & R …”, also had sunglasses, sandals and a beach towel.

“We had been collecting clothes from different family friends,” she said. “My pastor had been going down to New York for the Hurricane Sandy victims, and there was a bunch of leftover stuff we had to get rid of.”

She added that no one had posted negative Facebook comments about the photograph.

Curry said that in his opinion, it is the adult’s responsibility to be aware of potentially offensive symbols and avoid displaying them. He said he hoped the matter could inspire a “teachable moment” about the controversial history of Confederate symbols.

“We are in midst of Black History Month, which I think adds a bit of a sting to an image like this,” Curry said.

The Confederate flag has long been the subject of controversy, with supporters saying it represents southern heritage, while many opponents associate it with the legacy of slavery. In popular culture, the emblem is sometimes used by country and Southern rock musical acts. It also appears in the state flag of Mississippi and is displayed on the grounds of the South Carolina State House. The flag is also, however, used by some white supremacist organizations.

“I think over the course of the last few years, people have come to realize the Confederate flag, to many Americans of African descent, symbolizes a very troubling period in American history,” Curry said. “Many have chosen with good reason not to present the Confederate flag in any form.”